National Open Polo Championship: Cernadas scores six to guide Diamond Paints to title

Defeat Dollar East/Master Paints 6-4 in final to lift cup.

KARACHI: Diamond Paints clinched the 2016 National Open Polo Championship as they defeated Dollar East/Master Paints 6-4 in a close match at the Lahore Polo Club (LPC) on Wednesday.

The National Open is the premier event in Pakistan’s polo circuit and features the country’s top six teams.

Diamond Paints struggled in the opening two chukkers but were saved by the brilliance of Argentina’s Santiago Cernadas, who scored all six goals for his team. His compatriot Juan Cruz Losada, meanwhile, scored twice, while Bilal Haye and Hamza Mawaz Khan contributed with one goal each for the losing side.

Cernadas took away the man-of-the-match award and praised the hospitality he received in Pakistan, while his teammate, Raja Taimur Nadeem, was named the emerging player of the season.

“It’s been a tough season; for six weeks we’ve been playing non-stop,” Nadeem told The Express Tribune. “My happiness is two-pronged as not only did I win this award, my team also won the championship, and this is the biggest prize in the country. This is the one trophy that matters.”

The 28-year-old, who will start next season with Guards Polo Club in England, further added that he hoped to inspire young players to pursue the sport. “This award has definitely changed my life. It’s a great confidence booster. I was the second youngest player in the tournament and I hope this trend will attract the younger players,” he added.

Other awardees include Diamond Paints’ Saqib Khakwani, who won the award for the most valuable player of the tournament, and Dollar East/Master Paints’ Losada, who won the most valuable foreign player prize.

Meanwhile in the third-place match, Master Paints/Habib Metro defeated Learning Alliance 9-3.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2016.

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